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The Betting Corner: NBA Playoffs May 14, 2013

May 14, 2013 by Leave a Comment

             New York Knicks at Indiana Pacers

amare                      7:00pm tip

                      I see Melo and Amare getting back on track against the stout pacer D

                      With JR Smith: Knicks ML

                      Without JR Smith: Knicks +5.5

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Golden State Warriors at San Antonio Spurs

steph

9:35pm tip

Coming off an OT loss in Game 4, the Spurs look to rebound at home. However with Curry and Thompson shooting lights out in San Antonio in the first two games, I don’t see the Spurs covering -7.

Golden State +7

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Round 2-NBA Playoffs-Eastern Conference

May 7, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Eastern_Conference_NBA_logo

Two matchups are left in each conference to determine the two finalists going to the NBA Finals.

Chicago Bulls Vs Miami Heat

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  • Game 1- May 6 Chicago @ Miami 93-86
  • Game 2-May 8Chicago @ Miami 7 p.m. (EST) TNT
  • Game 3-May 10 Miami @ Chicago 8 p.m. (EST) ESPN
  • Game 4-May 13 Miami @ Chicago 7 p.m. (EST) TNT
  • Game 5-May 15 Chicago @ Miami TBA TNT
  • Game 6-May 17 Miami @ Chicago TBA ESPN
  • Game 7-May 19 Chicago @ Miami TBA TNT

2013 Regular Season Matchups

  • January 2 Chicago @ Miami 96-89
  • February 21 Miami @ Chicago 86-67
  • March 27 Miami @ Chicago 97-101
  • April 14  Chicago @ Miami 93-105

Chicago Bulls’ Locker Room

Both teams have proven they can win at home and on the road. But what a shocker it was when the Bulls stunned the Heat Monday night on the road. While we still don’t have news on whether  Derrick Rose will play, the Bulls might have some other issues they might want to deal with. Sixth man Nate Robinson carried the Bulls to the second round despite being ill and throwing up courtside. Luol Deng has also been dealing with the flu and a spinal tap and missed the last two games in the series against the Brooklyn Nets. Veteran guard Kirk Hinrich is also dealing with a calf injury, and if he returns,  he won’t be at 100 percent.  The Bulls surprised many in knocking out the Nets on the road in seven games with their stingy, tough defense.

Miami Heat Locker Room

The defending champions swept the Milwaukee Bucks in Round 1 and have been off for 10 days. This will help them in the long run. The Heat have no serious injuries as Dwayne Wade has gotten better during this break and will be cleared to  play come game time. The Heat didn’t have a hard time moving past the Bucks, winning by an average of 14 points. The Heat is arguably toe-to-toe with the Bulls defensively, both coaches stress  sharing the ball and defensive pressure on the ball. With a solid supporting cast in Chris “The Bird-Man” Anderson, Ray Allen, Shane Battier, Mike Miller and  Norris Cole, this Heat bench can bring it when their starters are resting. And LeBron James just won his fourth MVP in the last five years. They were simply stunned by the intensity the Bulls brought to Miami in game 1. But the defending champions know how to bounce back. Just count on Lebron James.

Final Predictions

Chicago might steal a game or two, but when the dust settles Miami continues its quest for two in a row.

Heat in 6

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New York Knicks vs. Indiana Pacers

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Remember the “choke artist” in Reggie Miller scoring eight points in 8.9 seconds and later staring down at Spike Lee while using one hand to choke himself and the other holding down on his crotch? Yeah those were the great days of the Knicks/Pacers Series, and now it is finally BACK!

130504175921-new-york-knicks-indiana-pacers-nba-playoffs-2013-preview-single-image-cut

  • Game 1- May 5 Indiana Pacers @ New York Knicks 102-95
  • Game 2-May 7 Indiana Pacers @ New York Knicks 7 p.m. (EST) TNT
  • Game 3- May 11 New York Knicks @ Indiana Pacers 8 p.m. (EST) ABC
  • Game 4-May 15 New York Knicks @ Indiana Pacers TBA (EST) TNT
  • Game 5-May 16 Indiana Pacers @ New York Knicks 8 p.m. (EST) TNT
  • Game 6-May 18 New York Knicks @ Indiana Pacers TBA (EST) ESPN
  • Game 7- May 20 Indiana Pacers @ New York Knicks 8 p.m. (EST) TNT

2013 Regular Season Matchups

  • November 18  Indiana @ New York 76-88
  • January 10 New York @ Indiana 76-81
  • February 20 New York @ Indiana 91-125
  • April 14 Indiana  @ New York 80-90

Indian Pacers’ Locker Room

The Pacers did what neither team could do during the regular season, win on the road. After stealing game one, this Pacers team now really has the edge to move on to the Eastern Conference finals with its undefeated home playoff streak. The Pacers had their moments in round one against the Atlanta Hawks but they overcame it in game six to eliminate the Hawks. The Pacers led the league with 45.9 rebounds per game and they showed it in their first round match-up, dominating the boards and points in the paint which has caused a HUGE  problem for the Knicks. In game one the Pacers won the rebounding edge 44-30 and points in the paint 46-32.  The Pacers will have to continue to play this type of ball in hopes of knocking off the Knicks and moving on to possibly face the defending champion Miami Heat.

New York Knicks’ Locker Room 

Home court is what they need to focus on, now having only three home games left, the Knicks need to secure all 3 games at home and steal one at Indiana where the Pacers are 30-11 and currently undefeated in the playoffs. The Knicks will hope to get a low-post boost in Amare Stoudemire possibly returning in game three and hopefully Marcus Camby can be more productive as they will be outsized against David West, Roy Hibbert and Paul George. Quote from Charles Barkley on TNT, “You don’t live by the threes,  you die by it.” The Knicks have been this way all season, they average over 24 attempts but in game one the Pacers beat them in that category and if they want to have any chance of making this a series, they have to make it rain.

Final Predictions

New York didn’t come this far without some success and recognition. We’ll hope for a great seven-game series but when it’s all said and done  Reggie Miller will be smiling after game seven.

Pacers in 7

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Big Expectations in the Big Apple

January 6, 2013 by Leave a Comment

melo

They say there is nothing louder than a New Yorker, so if you haven’t heard about the success of the New York Knicks this year, consider yourself one of the few. The Knicks have been making a lot of noise in the early part of this season turning it around from last season. The Knicks have rocketed off to a 22-10 start and are leading the “who can possibly beat the Heat” race in the Eastern Conference. The MVP-caliber play of Carmelo Anthony, Coach of the Year candidate Mike Woodson, and player acquisitions have turned the New York Knicks into a contender.

Carmelo Anthony is playing out of his mind right now. He’s second in the league right now to Kobe Bryant (aka Benjamin Button) in scoring. Carmelo is averaging 28.9 points per game with shooting averages of 47% from the field and a career best 43% from 3-point range. Although he has missed a few games with injury this season, he is having one of the best seasons of his career. During the offseason, coach Mike Woodson was quoted saying, “Anthony’s going to have to raise his game” and that he would have “to push him to be in better shape.” Anthony seems to have taken his coach’s words to heart as he has propelled the Knicks to one of their best starts in decades.

Mike Woodson has brought in a culture that holds even his star players accountable, and their response can be seen throughout their play. Under D’Antoni, the Knicks forgot what it meant to play defense, Woodson seems to have been able to remind them what it means. He has brought in a focus on defense, and when you have the former Defensive Player of the Year, you’re going to see some positive results. By demanding accountability from his players, Woodson and the Knicks have experienced a major reduction in turnovers. Under Woodson, the Knicks are averaging a league-low 10.8 turnovers per game. This same team averaged 16 turnovers per game last year. Woodson’s system demands ball control, something far different from the run and gun offense that existed during the D’Antoni era. This doesn’t mean that the offense has slowed down though. Woodson has put out a powerful offense that has been living and dying with the 3-ball. The Knicks put up a league high 28.9 3-pointers per game and are making them at a 39% rate. This three point shooting has allowed the Knicks to average a very respectable 102.1 points per game. By getting his veterans to buy in and operate within the system, Woodson has the Knicks looking like contenders.

Woodson’s veteran team added multiple players during this offseason that have been crucial to the Knicks thriving. During the offseason, the Knicks refused to match Jeremy Lin’s offer sheet, allowing the point guard to go to Houston. They brought in veteran point guards Jason Kidd and Raymond Felton who have been able to successfully run the offense that Woodson wants. Raymond Felton seems to have been revitalized in New York, and Jason Kidd seems to have slapped Father Time in the face. Kidd’s poised play and veteran leadership have created almost a second coach on the court. While he may not be lighting up the stat sheet, every player on the Knicks commends Kidd for consistently making play after play and efficiently running the offense on the floor. The Knicks have found themselves two point guards more than capable of producing and running the Knicks efficient offense.

Much must be said about the emergence of J.R. Smith. The self-proclaimed partier has “given up on drinking and the clubs” to focus more on basketball this year. It looks as though it is really helping as Smith is one of the best bench players in the league and averaging a career high 16.6 points per game.

The Knicks look like one of the best teams in the league even though they are just introducing one of their top players back to the lineup. While some individuals believe that the return of Amare Stoudemire to the Knicks lineup is a disruption to their rhythm, coach Mike Woodson has more than proved himself able to adapt to his roster. With Stoudemire coming off the bench, Woodson would be able to keep Anthony at the power forward position that he has been thriving at all year. The Knicks could rotate Anthony or Chandler out when inserting Stoudemire, giving them additional rest on the bench. Also, having Stoudemire available gives the Knicks the ability to match the size of any front-court in the league. Mike Woodson has turned this team around and his success will get the players to buy into however he decides to handle the situation. Even though we are only a little over a third into the season, the Knicks are facing some big expectations in the Big Apple.

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Tye Masters
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